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Körmend was first documented in 1238 as "Curmend," seat of kings. King Béla IV granted Körmend town privileges
with the right to hold markets in 1244.
After Körmend was in royal possession, it became the
property of various lords. Since 1604, it has been the central estate of the Batthyány family. The King gave the
castle and the estate of Körmend to Franz II Batthyány in recognition of his service.
From 1716 until 1945, when the family was dispossessed of the castle and the estate by the communists, Körmend had
been the centre of their seigniory.
After the struggle for freedom under the leadership of Prince Rákóczi, the Batthyánys moved the management of
their estates to Körmend. Thence forward, it became a prosperous small town. The castle changed to a beautiful
baroque palace.
After 1769, the Batthánys collected documents over several centuries and the majority of their art treasures were
brought here.
The castle originally rose on a hill with a broad moat. The road from the town to the castle led through a double
moat and over timber bridges. In the castle's bailey was a one-story residential building. Then there was an outer
staircase, which led to the timber gallery facing the bailey. The gallery encircled the whole bailey and led to
the loop-holes integrated into the walls. The ground floor included a grain stock, a dry mill, and a common
bakery.
After 1600 and the fall of Kanizsas, a new time began: Körmend became a border town of military importance. The
town's development reached its climax in the mid-17th century. In 1625, Ferenc Batthyány's son, Ádám, inherited
the town. He was a well-educated land owner and, not only a great manager of his properties, but also a leading
military figure of the country. He assigned the excellent Italian war engineer, and later imperial main architect,
Filiberto Lucchese to the alteration of the castle.
 Significant
changes came along with the four years of construction work going on. The main structure of the castle remained,
but its look had been changed. Now there were multi-storied residential buildings on all four sides, the towers
were higher and arcades had been built in place of the timber gallery. The windows were opened to the courtyard.
The massive and medieval character of the castle remained but the interior was made more comfortable. After the
Turkish had been successfully driven out of the country, the castle of Körmend became one of the
"dispensable castles" and the war council of Vienna ordered its demolition on 26/01/1702, but the Batthyánys were
able to prevent that.
The town and castle of Körmend suffered during the struggle for freedom under the leadership of Rákóczi. The army
of Antal Eszterházy destroyed the town and the castle. Therefore, at the beginning of the 18th century, the castle
actually did not exist and the town was utterly destroyed.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the coordination of the Batthyány estates was shifted to Körmend. Lajos
Batthyany took over the properties from his father in 1720. He served variously as imperial and royal chamberlain,
privy councillor, chancellor and the last Hungarian palatine from 1751 to 1765. His societal importance was
revealed even in his constructions. Following his instructions, generous conversion works of Körmend castle began.
Thence forward, the castle stood in an open park, which, with its dynamic layout and arrangement, strove for pomp,
and the castle was meant to imitate baroque splendor. The designer of the newly-arranged building was the Italian,
Felice de Allio, who had already been an important representative of Austrian baroque in the first half of the
18th century. The construction work began with the dismantling of the gate tower and the filling up of the moat.
Then there was built a new floor on top of the whole building. The arcades in the inner courtyard were dismantled
and replaced by huge corridors with windows. In the second floor they installed parlours and living rooms. A
mansard roof was added and the façade got blue-white-yellow stripes. Among the adjoining buildings in front of the
main building was the depot where the carriages were stored on the west side and the horse stable with the red
marmoreal feeding troughs on the east. On the first floor of the building, which also had a basement, was the Sala
Terrena. On the one-room second floor, you could find the archive and the library. The ensemble of buildings,
built 1730-1745, shows a typical Hungarian style, including, of course, elements of the Austrian Baroque.
 About 1800, a six-column balcony
and a gable were added to the facade of the castle. The gable was adorned with the Batthyány family's coat of
arms.
In 1945, in the course of the invasion of the Russian army, the outstanding picture gallery, the library, the
collection of weapons and a lot of art treasures were destroyed, pillaged or stolen. Even the huge archive wasn't
spared. The remaining documents and art treasures were then expropriated by the Communists and have so far not
been returned to the family. Nowadays, they can be seen, among other places, in the Hungarian National Museum and
the Public Records Office.
Opening times of the museum:
From Apr 1 to Oct 31: 10 am - 5 pm (every day except Monday)
From Nov 1 to Mar 31: 10 am - 12 pm, 2 pm - 4 pm (every day except Sunday and Monday)
The museum shows periodic exhibitions in the castle chapel.
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